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A review by romancereadingreactions
The Dating Dilemma by Mariah Ankenman
2.0
I feel like I need to start this review by saying very clearly this is an "it's not you, it's me" situation. I think there are going to be many people who love this book, it just wasn't the right book for me right now!
I don't know if it's because of all the dark romance I've been reading recently, but this book was sweet. Like, sickly sweet. And I feel bad saying this, but for me, it read like it was trying just a little too hard to be a rom-com. As if every other line had to be a zinger, you know? I love the tropes, and for me, there can never be too many in a book! But they at least need to appear to happen organically. The characters and the dialogue were all over the top, and it actually felt a bit chaotic and hard to follow at times, especially with Lexi and her internal versus external dialogue. It was never clear what she was saying to herself and what was actually said out loud; it seems like it was meant to be a quirky personality trait, but it just made things difficult to follow and wasn't done consistently.
I also have to say it, I couldn't take a hero named after a vacuum seriously. It legitimately bothered me every time I read it.
With how over the top and forced the characters and plot were, along with how repetitive things felt, it just didn't work for me. There were enough moments along the way that did keep me reading though, so I figure if it could do that even when the writing style didn't work for me, a lot of people will probably enjoy this! If you read it, go in expecting lots of cheese and clichés, exaggerated characters, and some disorganized dialogue, but tropes galore and sweetness to enjoy!
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book provided to me through NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to the author and Entangled Publishing for giving me the opportunity to read this book!
I don't know if it's because of all the dark romance I've been reading recently, but this book was sweet. Like, sickly sweet. And I feel bad saying this, but for me, it read like it was trying just a little too hard to be a rom-com. As if every other line had to be a zinger, you know? I love the tropes, and for me, there can never be too many in a book! But they at least need to appear to happen organically. The characters and the dialogue were all over the top, and it actually felt a bit chaotic and hard to follow at times, especially with Lexi and her internal versus external dialogue. It was never clear what she was saying to herself and what was actually said out loud; it seems like it was meant to be a quirky personality trait, but it just made things difficult to follow and wasn't done consistently.
I also have to say it, I couldn't take a hero named after a vacuum seriously. It legitimately bothered me every time I read it.
With how over the top and forced the characters and plot were, along with how repetitive things felt, it just didn't work for me. There were enough moments along the way that did keep me reading though, so I figure if it could do that even when the writing style didn't work for me, a lot of people will probably enjoy this! If you read it, go in expecting lots of cheese and clichés, exaggerated characters, and some disorganized dialogue, but tropes galore and sweetness to enjoy!
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book provided to me through NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to the author and Entangled Publishing for giving me the opportunity to read this book!